León, Spain: a cultural city guide

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The pilgrims, scallop shells dangling from their backpacks, are up before the sun. In the cool of the dawn I watch from the balcony of my parador, itself a former pilgrims’ hostel, as these doughty hikers cross the old San Marcos Bridge and make their way out of León. This ancient seat of the Reconquista, eponymous capital of the kingdom which famously had 24 kings before its upstart neighbour Castile even had laws, has long been a major way-station on the holy Camino to Santiago de Compostela.

In recent times, however, León’s position in relation to the ferry ports at Santander and Bilbao has also commended it as a favoured stop-off for visitors heading south to Spain and Portugal. Whether they arrive on foot or in the family car, visitors delight in 13th-century artistic masterpieces, the charming back streets and the full-on foodie culture – think lengua curada (cured tongue) – of León’s casco antiguo (Old Town).

I begin my day by tracing the pilgrims’ footfalls in reverse. Beyond the brass statue of a cowled pilgrim resting his sore feet in Plaza de San Marcos – no wonder the city boasts so many orthopaedic clinics – I follow the brass scallops set in the pavement that mark the Camino’s route through León. They lead past the plazas and broad boulevards of the new town, past the medieval walls, to the old city’s cathedral. Beyond the ornate Gothic stonework of the doorways I gasp at the stained glass, the most exquisite in Spain. For a closer look at their fiery reds and intense blues, I join a tour to the platform being used during restoration high in the cathedral’s interior.

A short walk through shaded lanes lined by pilgrims’ hostels, calligraphy studios and offal butchers brings me to the Basilica of San Isidoro and the adjoining Royal Pantheon, resting place of León’s ancient kings and assorted royals. This magnificent arched crypt, with its beautifully frescoed ceiling, has been described as the Sistine Chapel of the Spanish Romanesque. The biblical scenes are vividly rendered but the standout marvel is the farming calendar detailing the chores – pruning the vines in March, for example, and fattening the pigs with acorns in October – which were the monthly round of medieval León.

The Basilica of San Isidoro

Such traditions are preserved, to judge by such delightful shops as the Tripicallería Pimenton, purveyor of the kit required to make paprika-flavoured tripe sausage, which I find at 19 Azabachería Street. I honour these continuities with the dish of delicious pigs’ blood stew called morcilla, which comes free in the León way with my glass of rioja at the nearby La Rinconada tapas bar.

I spend the hours of siesta exploring the magnificent parador, as much a museum as a hotel, and especially the elegant cloisters and richly carved façade – all skulls and scallops – of this 16th-century monastery-hostel.

Then it’s back into town for the Sierra-Pambley Museum, rich in 19th-century furnishings. By now the low sun is flooding through the cathedral’s great rose window. And the next lot of pilgrims are arriving to mingle with the crowds in the expanses of Plaza Mayor, and rest their blistered feet at the tables fronting its bars. It’s time for more wine, and perhaps a plate of lengua curada.

León essentials

GETTING THERE

Brittany Ferries (0871 244 1400; brittanyferries.com) has year-round sailings from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander, a three-hour drive from León, from £209 per person return based on a car plus two passengers. The company also has sailings to Bilbao, where daily train services serve León. Journey time on the train is five hours. The nearest airports with direct flights from the UK (Stansted) are Asturias-Oviedo (easyjet.com) and Valladolid (ryanair.com). Both are about two hours by road from León.

THE INSIDE TRACK

Many of León’s attractions are free at particular times, especially weekends. Ask at either of the main tourist offices (by Plaza San Marcelo or opposite the cathedral) whether any coincide with your visit.

Fees are always payable for access to the cathedral. Ask at the cathedral museum for tickets for the platform tour.

There are small-group guided tours in Spanish to the excellent Sierra-Pambley Museum (Plaza de Regla, 4; sierrapambley.org) on the hour during the museum’s opening hours. Go at 11am, however, when the place may well be deserted and you’ll get the tour in English.

An excellent local guide is Blanca Lobete (0034 669 276335; guiaslegio@hotmail.com), who offers group tours from £75.

Buzzing locals’ tapas bar and restaurant in the heart of the boozy Barrio Húmedo, or Wet Quarter (Plaza San Martin 10; 261109).

Parador Hostal San Marcos ££

Has a fine setting adjacent to a riverside terrace and a menu specialising in meaty Leónese cuisine. Tasting menu £32 (bookings on 237300).

WHAT TO AVOID

Opening hours can seem short in León where everything, including the tourist offices, shuts between 2pm and 5pm; keep Spanish hours and hole up in the afternoons.

Many attractions, including the León Museum and the Sierra-Pambley Museum, close on Mondays.

León may be a bastion of old-style free tapas but in touristy Plaza Mayor free tapas with your drinks can mean a disappointing square of tortilla or even a bowl of crisps. Search out low-key places like La Rinconada (Conde Rebolledo 1; 987 211956) to experience authentic Leonese tapas.

DID YOU KNOW?

León has a distinct language, but one that UNESCO has warned is virtually extinct